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Unfortunately, Microsoft has removed their direct download links from the Windows Store for Windows 8. The only download link they provide is for an evaluation copy of Windows 8 Enterprise , which works for 90 days before the trial expires and cannot be upgraded to a full install with a normal license key. The link for this evaluation copy can be found here download (32bit) or download (64bit)

OpenELEC

Open Embedded Linux Entertainment Center, or OpenELEC for short, is a small Linux distribution built from scratch as a platform to turn your computer into a complete XBMC media center. OpenELEC is designed to make your system boot as fast as possible and the install is so easy that anyone can turn a blank PC into a media machine in less than 15 minutes.

The idea behind OpenELEC is to allow people to user their Home Theatre PC (HTPC) like any other device you might have attached to your TV, like a DVD player or Sky box. Instead of having to manage a full operating system, configure it and install the packages required to turn it into a hybrid media center, OpenELEC is designed to be simple to install, manage and use, making it more like running a set-top box than a full-blown computer.

Bitstreaming (or pasthrough) means that the HTPC outputs the untouched audio stream to the Audi-Video receiver for decoding, and all of the decoding process is done on the AVR, nothing is being altered on the HTPC. DTS/DTS-HD Master Audio/Dolby Digital/Dolby Digital should appear on the display of the Audio-Video Receiver. Botstreming can be done via the 2 available digital connections :

b) Decoding the audio on the HTPC and outputting the audio either via an digital or analog connection

This is done by decoding the audio on your HTPC via a specific filter (XBMC internal decoders or the Total Media Theater 5 internal decoders) and outputting the analog signal via the analog connections of your soundcard to your amplifier/Audio-Video Receiver

To start off , we need to first ensure you have the proper file/folder structure for XBMC . Why does XBMC need this? Well, XBMC uses the names and year of the files/folder to download information about your movies from sites like themoviedb.org ,imdb etc. , so incorrect names can lead to incorrect metadata being retrieved.

Movies

In order to be scanned correctly, movie file names should only have the title and the year followed by the file extension. It is also recommended that you have each movie in it`s own folder, and the folder name should be the same as the movie name + year, like the movie files. This is most importantly when you rip Blu Ray or DVD folder structures to your hard-disk, and not something like MKV, Since in this case XBMC will read the Movie name from the folder name.

Here are a couple of examples for single files types , like MKV, M2TS and AVI:

For TV Shows, XBMC needs a structure like this : a main TV Shows folder, followed by a folder which contains the said TV Show name (Game of Thrones for example). In that folder, you will have season folder, like Season 1, Season 2 etc., and the video files will be stored with the following naming convention : Game of Thrones S01E01.mkv , Game of Thrones S01E02.mkv etc. , where S01 represents the Season number, and E01 the episode number.

D:/TV Shows/Game of Thrones/Season 1/Game of Thrones S01E01.mkv, Game of Thrones S01E02.mkv etc.

D:/TV Shows/Game of Thrones/Season 2/Game of Thrones S02E01.mkv, Game of Thrones S02E02.mkv etc.

After you have installed XBMC, the next step is to add those folders containing you media (Movies/TV Shows) to the XBMC library.

Adding your Movies folder to the XBMC Library

First step will be to go to Videos -> Files. There you will have the Add Videos option and click on it, as below :

Next up, we use the "Browse" function to navigate to you movies folder, like below :

However, if your movies are stored on a NAS or server, you may need to use the "Windows Network (SMB)" option to connect to it and add the network location, like below :

Now since you`ve already added one folder, you may want to add others, in case you have multiple folders with movies. You can do so by clicking Add , and then Browse again to add the second folder. Same method for the 3rd and so on.

When you are done, hit OK and let`s move on to selecting the content type. Since we added a movies, we will select Movies under the section "This directory contains". We will also do a small adjustment. By default XBMC retrieves metadata from the TheMovieDB.org , including the rating. But most people want the movie rating from IMDB, so we need to do to the Settings option down below. The last option in the list is the "Get Rating from", which we will change to IMDB and hit OK

After you hit OK on the Set Content windows, XBMC will ask you if you want to refresh information for all the items withing this path. Select Yes , and XBMC will automatically start scanning you folders and retrieve metadata. If you have a large collection of movies, this can take a long time, 15-20 minutes for 200 movies for example.

Adding your TV Shows folder to the XBMC Library

Adding TV Shows implies the same method as the Movies part, but you need to select TV Shows under the "Set Content" window.

Basic Settings for XBMC

Now that you have added you media libraries to XBMC, it`s time to do some basic settings to ensure proper playback, and some miscelanous network settings.

First of all, under the System main menu item you will find all these settings. Let`s start of with Appearance.

Appearance

Here , under the International tab you may need to adjust you current region (by default it should be USA), and you have 2 options to set the "Preferred audio/subtitle language". These option affect what language will be selected automatically by XBMC when playing a movie for subtitles and/or audio. So for example if you set these to Dutch, and you play a video that has 2-3 audio tracks in English/Dutch and say Chinese, it will default to Dutch. Same goe for subtitles.

Under the Filelists tab , we need to disable "Show parent folder items".

Videos

Here, under the Library tab, we have some options to take into consideration. "Group movies into sets" is an option that will stack the movies that belong from a duology/trilogy etc. into one set, so for example, when you access your movie library, instead of seeing 3 entries for your 3 Lord of the Rings movies, you will see only one, called "Lord of the Rings Trilogy". When you press Ok on it, obviously you will be takes to each separate movie entry.

Update Library on Startup will update the library both on startup of XBMC, and once you bring back your computer from sleep.

The Playback tab features some options regarding playback. "Adjust refresh rate to match video" should be turned on , set to "On Start/Stop". This means XBMC will set your refresh rate according to the video that`s being played. A Blu Ray is encoded at at 23.976Hz (known as 24p) for example. Normally your desktop runs at 60Hz, meaning playing back a Blu Ray will result in the renderer doing 3:2 pulldown (which results in slight shuttering during panning scenes ). If this option is enabled, XBMC will switch the refresh rate to 23.976 Hz and the movie will look smooth. Same goes dor DVD content, or HDTV content (that runs at 25 or 29Hz, depending on your region (Europe/USA).

If you are an Intel HD graphics user, you might want to turn off DXVA2 Hardware Acceleration. Intel HD graphics have some issues like macroblocking (weird colored pixels) when used in conjunction with ffmpeg based decoders (what XBMC uses), but fortunatly, even the lowest end dual core SandyBridge/IvyBridge (second and third generation Intel Core arhitectures), like the Celeron G530, have enough power to software decode even high bitrate Blu Ray material.

Services

Under the network section, we can enable some options regarding controlling XBMC via an iOS/Android app (we`ll get to presenting a couple of them later on in the guide), and AirPlay support. On the Webserver tab , enable "Allow control of XBMC via HTTP", and under "Remote control" enable "Allow other programs to control XBMC". Now if and when you decide to use your tablet/phone to control XBMC instead of your remote, the iOS/Android/WP7/8 applications will be able to detect XBMC on the network.

AirPlay is self-explanatory, but one important note is that XBMC only supports AirPlay streaming (streaming videos from your iOS device to XBMC), it does not support mirroring (mirroring your iOS device`s screen to XBMC, useful if you want to play games from your tablet/phone on the big screen).

System

Here, under the Audio Output tab, we will need to set up your settings according to your audio setup. Analog should be used if you have a dedicated/integrated soundcard connected to your amplifier, while HDMI and S/PDIF (the Optical/Coax option) is for those using an A/V receiver connected via one of these 2 digital connectors. Some older receivers from 2004-2009 have an HDMI connector, but do not support decoding of lossless formats like DTS-HD M.A. and Dolby TrueHD (and are limited to DTS/Dolby Digital for bitstreaming), so check your A/V receiver`s list of supported formats so you can adjust the settings accordingly.

Another setting here we need to adjust is the "Audio output device " and "Passthrough output device". Both of these should be set to WASAPI, not the default Direct Sound option, like in the picture above.

Media Center Master is a meta-data and media organization solution for Windows Media Center, which downloads more comprehensive metadata than the default XBMC scrapper, and stores it locally. This tutorial sets up MCM on your HTPC, running in the background, automatically gathering metadata for the desired media collections and renaming your movie files/folders with the proper names.

2) Configuration :

Click Application -> Settings and preferences

General Tab

Select Minimize to tray

Metadata Tab

Select generate XBMC compatible metadata (.nfo)

Artwork Tab

De-select "Download all backdrops when available" and select "Limit to only 1 backdrops"

Organization tab

Select Rename folder during fetch & Rename files too

XBMC tab

Select all the first 3 options, including "Use [videofilename].nfo/.tbn modern style naming

A guide on configuring your harmony or 7MC remote to work with XBMC would good for some people.

I know you'll probably include this but one thing to point out might be that different skins handle the media display differently. So while Fanart might look good with the Aeon skin, it might not work in the Alaska skin.

Sorry if I'm trying to tell you what to do, just thinking of things I've come across with XBMC as it is/was my primary frontend for the past year.

A guide on configuring your harmony or 7MC remote to work with XBMC would good for some people.

I know you'll probably include this but one thing to point out might be that different skins handle the media display differently. So while Fanart might look good with the Aeon skin, it might not work in the Alaska skin.

Sorry if I'm trying to tell you what to do, just thinking of things I've come across with XBMC as it is/was my primary frontend for the past year.

For getting remotes working in XBMC Windows installs the following are good references:

I did it using Eventghost which not only allowed me to use the buttons you find on a MCE remote but I could set up keystrokes. So I have a "resume" button mapped on the touchpart of my H1 which maps to the Tab key and Exit maps to ALT+F4, back/return maps to Backspace instead of ESC. Those kinds of tweaks.

I did it using Eventghost which not only allowed me to use the buttons you find on a MCE remote but I could set up keystrokes. So I have a "resume" button mapped on the touchpart of my H1 which maps to the Tab key and Exit maps to ALT+F4, back/return maps to Backspace instead of ESC. Those kinds of tweaks.

I just use the MCERemote Add-On as I like to keep my HTPC as clean as possibly without too many applications installed. With the Add-On any MCE remote that uses ehome just works without the need for any other software, tweaks can also be done with the Add-On or via registry changes ( see 2nd link above) again without any additional software.

A guide on configuring your harmony or 7MC remote to work with XBMC would good for some people.

I know you'll probably include this but one thing to point out might be that different skins handle the media display differently. So while Fanart might look good with the Aeon skin, it might not work in the Alaska skin.

Sorry if I'm trying to tell you what to do, just thinking of things I've come across with XBMC as it is/was my primary frontend for the past year.

Np, criticism and feature requests are always 2 things i always welcome , they make things better for everybody .

I`ll base my initial settings on the default Confluence theme. Then moe on to the Aeon MQ Theme for a demonstration of the skin settings. After that, the reader can toy around with the other themes since a guide explaining each one would be impossible to do, due to the lenght.

As for the remote, i`m clueless in this department. I use a crappy Asus remote i got with my mobo with EventGhost (thank god for the guy who invented it). I`ll do some digging around the XBMC forums bcz i rememeber i saw something about MCE remote guides, and see if i can make any sense of it.

I just use the MCERemote Add-On as I like to keep my HTPC as clean as possibly without too many applications installed. With the Add-On any MCE remote that uses ehome just works without the need for any other software, tweaks can also be done with the Add-On or via registry changes ( see 2nd link above) again without any additional software.

When I did the eventghost config this plug-in wasn't out yet, so that's why I stuck with Eventghost.

Is there any specific setting that needs to be enabled to have DVXA on 1080p files in a windows set up. With 720p movies I am getting it to work and the picture looks great but with 1080p movies the picture is all messed up. It breaks up and there is a lot of macroblocking.

Regarding the recommended media folder configuration, you mean that you have to separate movies in sub directories mkv, avi, vob, e.t.c.

Yes, so each movie should be in its own folder. Let's say you have Old School.mkv, you would want that mkv to be in a folder called "Old School". XBMC can handle files just being in one big folder, but having separate folders for each movie allows for better compatibility across multiple front ends.

I already have them each one in its own folder with the same name, but they are all mixed in one directory . Should I split them according to types of files?
Furthermore, as far as I know, xbmc uses ember media manager to download meta-data, posters, fanarts, e.t.c.
Automated downloads with it, is very inaccurate most of the times (it uses imdb), impartial. Manual on the other hand, when dealing with appr. 800 movies is quite a burden.
Any suggestions?

Is there any specific setting that needs to be enabled to have DVXA on 1080p files in a windows set up. With 720p movies I am getting it to work and the picture looks great but with 1080p movies the picture is all messed up. It breaks up and there is a lot of macroblocking.

It depends on if your card supports hardware acceleration or not. A friend of mine has a Dell Zino with the lower end processor and can properly use DXVA to play 1080P files.

I already have them each one in its own folder with the same name, but they are all mixed in one directory . Should I split them according to types of files?
Furthermore, as far as I know, xbmc uses ember media manager to download meta-data, posters, fanarts, e.t.c.
Automated downloads with it, is very inaccurate most of the times (it uses imdb), impartial. Manual on the other hand, when dealing with appr. 800 movies is quite a burden.
Any suggestions?

Andreas

ps. Is it wise to divide them according to years?

You can set XBMC to use different sources for scraping, they're available in the plug-in section. You can then specify in the source content where you define the media type which source you want to use (IMDB, TheMovieDB, etc).

Alternatively you can use MediaCenter Master or Media Companion to do it. MCM will give you a more automated process though, so it may be a bit of trial and error.

I already have them each one in its own folder with the same name, but they are all mixed in one directory . Should I split them according to types of files?
Furthermore, as far as I know, xbmc uses ember media manager to download meta-data, posters, fanarts, e.t.c.
Automated downloads with it, is very inaccurate most of the times (it uses imdb), impartial. Manual on the other hand, when dealing with appr. 800 movies is quite a burden.
Any suggestions?

Andreas

ps. Is it wise to divide them according to years?

No need to you separate out unless there is any benefit for you. For example I have a central Videos folder. Under that I have 5 folders:

Movies HD
Movies SD
Family Movies HD
Family Movies SD
TV Shows

And then within each of these folders are the movies. Of course there is no need to set it up this way, it just makes it easier to manage my content. You can sort/divide however you want, such as by year. In many cases though most front ends (such as XBMC or other) can sort your collection by year, genre, etc... without you needing to do so manually by folders.

For use with Dharma I really like Aeon65, which you can get with GIT. I would use Dharma as my main front-end/player, but for the inability to bistream HD audio. I hope the new DSPlayer works more reliably than the old ones.

XBMC doesn`t use Ember MM, Ember Media Manager is a standalone application similar to Media Center Master for scrapping metadata for local storage. The problem is i don`t like Ember. I doesn`t have an automatic way of doing it (auto-scanning for new content, auto downloading the metadata and auto-renaming the files) these things are crucial for large libraries and for a metadata app that will sit on the backend of the HTPC, doind these things in the background, just like in the 7MC Software guide. This is my goal when it comes to metadata, in both 7MC and XBMC

Is there any specific setting that needs to be enabled to have DVXA on 1080p files in a windows set up. With 720p movies I am getting it to work and the picture looks great but with 1080p movies the picture is all messed up. It breaks up and there is a lot of macroblocking.

Providing you have one of the Dharma builds installed and not the 'stable build Camelot 9.11' you should go to System\\Video\\Playback\\Allow Hardware Acceleration (DXVA 2) and activate.

Please note though that DXVA2 is only available in Vista/Win7 set-ups. XP users will have to use the DSPlayer branch, or an external player.